The conspicuous absence of senior Telugu Desam Party leader and Andhra Pradesh minister for human resources development Ganta Srinivasa Rao at the cabinet meeting conducted by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Amaravati on Tuesday night led to speculations that he might call it quits to the party sooner or later.
Though the party sources tried to brush aside the rumours stating that Ganta could not attend the cabinet meeting because of ill-health, inquiries revealed that he was very much healthy and was staying put at his residence in Visakhapatnam. He has not been meeting any party leaders for the last two days.
What is more interesting is that Ganta, who is supposed to make arrangements for Naidu’s official tour to Visakhapatnam on Thursday, was nowhere in the picture.
The responsibility is being handled by other TDP leaders. He was not available to the other party leaders.
Sources say for the last two days, there have been reports that Ganta has been sulking because of the party leadership entertaining complaints from his colleague Ch Ayyanna Patrudu against him. A couple of times, Naidu also pulled him up because of the complaints against him.
Moreover, Ganta has also realised that the TDP has bleak chances of returning to power again in the next elections and may be, he is looking for an alternative to sustain his political career. There were reports that he is sending feelers to the YSR Congress party for shifting his loyalties.
YSRC senior leader Botsa Satyanarayana, however, feigned ignorance about Ganta’s attempts to join the party.
“Anybody who accepts our party philosophy is welcome. But before coming to our party, he should quit his post,” he asserted.
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